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| Credit: DAZN |
It has become almost a standard practice in present day combat sports to see crossover bouts featuring fighters from different combat disciplines trying their hand at competing in a different discipline/sport, often against a seasoned fighter with significantly more experience than the combatant leaving their primary sport for the said contest. While most of the time, this presents encounters that turn out to be one-sided mismatches where the fighter with more experience in the sport where a fight is taking place wins over the fighter crossing over from one sport to another, there will always be a curiosity whenever such a fight takes place.
Such an occasion will occur when undefeated current unified World Heavyweight Boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk will defend the WBC World Heavyweight championship against former World Heavyweight Kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven on May 23rd at the Pyramids of Giza in Giza, Egypt. A bout that can be seen worldwide on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN either as part of a DAZN Ultimate subscription or as a standalone pay-per-view option for non-Ultimate subscribers.
The location of this world title bout is as much a part of the story as the fight itself. This will be the first combat sports event to ever be held at the Pyramids of Giza and thus, regardless of what happens in the fight itself, this will make Boxing history given that it is a World Heavyweight championship bout. A subject that has some controversy attached to it.
Controversy in that the World Boxing Council (WBC) greenlit sanctioning this fight for its portion of the World Heavyweight championship, despite the significant difference in Boxing experience between champion and challenger. Perhaps, their decision was influenced at least in part by wanting to be involved in a unique event that is a first in all of combat sports in terms of location, that could be a one-off occurrence, but a decision that has faced significant criticism primarily from Boxing fans.
Where does the criticism stem from? Rico Verhoeven is a legend in the sport of Kickboxing having successfully defended the Glory Kickboxing World Heavyweight championship fifteen times in a twelve year reign as champion, which is an extremely impressive Hall of Fame worthy accomplishment in any combat sport. Having said that, Verhoeven, who has also dabbled in the sport of MMA, has only had one professional fight as a boxer. In that outing in April 2014, he scored a knockout in the second round over a fighter by the name of James Finfera, a boxer who was winless in five previous bouts when he met Verhoeven in Germany. Although it is a testament to the athletic qualities Verhoeven has that he has been willing to dabble in multiple combat sports with Kickboxing as his primary discipline, the criticism given the record of his one previous opponent in Boxing as well as the fact that he has not fought in a Boxing contest in over twelve years seems justified as to why some are questioning his being catapulted into a world championship opportunity here in what will only be his second professional fight as a boxer.
If\ one looks at the history of the sport, however, it is not unheard of for a world champion in a different combat sport to be given an opportunity to challenge for a world title in Boxing with a limited resume. Some may recall Troy Dorsey, a man that pioneered the concept of a multi-combat sport athlete.
Dorsey, a former World Kickboxing champion in the 1980’s and 1990’s made history as being the first fighter in history to hold world titles in both sports simultaneously and fought for a world title in Boxing in only his fourteenth professional fight during an era where there weren't as many avenues to compete for world titles as there are in the sport today. In more recent times, some are likely familiar with the career of Chris Algieri, an undefeated two-division World Kickboxing champion, who went on to win a world championship in Boxing and has since gone on to become one of the sport’s respected commentators and broadcasters.The takeaway here should be that while a fighter might have a limited resume when opportunities present themselves in a given sport, it does not mean that their chances can necessarily be dismissed just off of limited experience.
Rather than focusing on resumes that boil down to statistics and footnotes, a more accurate question will be what type of fight can we expect to see here. As is the case with most crossover fights, there is not much to go on because there are obvious differences between Boxing and Kickboxing and as such, tactics cannot adequately be compared as one obviously has the element of being able to use kicks to the legs, body, and head, in addition to punching with hands, while the other, the hands are the sole weapon used in combat.
What this will boil down to is whether Verhoeven will be able to combat Usyk’s hand speed, ability to use angles, and deceptive punching power. The key in the eyes of this observer will be whether Verhoeven can get the respect of Usyl early in the fight.
Oleksandr Usyk is an undefeated former three-time Undisputed world champion in two weight divisions. The fact of the matter is there is not much that Usyk has not done and there probably at this point in his career that he has not seen in the ring that an opponent can offer him. An obvious danger here, however, though he has not shown signs of it, is the possibility of taking his opponent here lightly and as such even though Rico Verhoeven is a legend in Kickboxing, if he were to pull off what would be called a major upset here, some would likely use that accomplishment as a means to try and question Usyk’s legacy, likely citing Verhoeven’s limited Boxing experience.
How will Usyk approach this encounter? The obvious approach in my eyes will be to try and use the fact that Verhoeven has not fought in a Boxing contest in over twelve years to his advantage. Usyk must establish the pace of the combat from the outset and must also use the fact that world championship fights in Boxing are scheduled for twelve rounds. Although like Boxing, bouts in Kickboxing are also held with rounds with three minutes in duration, a question here is whether Rico Verhoeven will be conditioned to go into the middle and deep waters of the fight, also known as the middle and late rounds, if he is forced to do so and is forced to fight at a pace that he does not control. The task of trying to limit Usyk’s ability to use angles by trying to cut off the ring and nullify his hand speed will be a difficult task and Usyk’s fight plan will likely center on trying to extend Verhoeven into the middle and late rounds and will try to make him use more physical effort than Verhoeven is likely used to as a means of putting the challenger’s stamina to the test in addition to obviously looking to exploit any opening that Verhoeven might leave.
As is the case with virtually all crossover fights, whether this fight will be remembered for being a competitive bout or more for the uniqueness of the event and the location where it is taking place, remains to be seen. Having seen several of these fights and knowing that they are rarely known at the end of the day for a competitive contest, one way or another as was the case when future UFC Hall of Famer Connor McGregor stepped into the Boxing ring to challenge Floyd Mayweather and gave a good effort before ultimately being stopped by the more experienced Hall of Fame boxer, or when Hall of Fame boxer James Toney stepped into the UFC to challenge Hall of Famer Randy Couture and was quickly taken down and submitted, I am nevertheless curious as to what is going happen here and I'm as interested to watch as anyone else.
“And That's The Boxing Truth.*
Photo Courtesy of: DAZN Used with permission
Usyk vs. Verhoeven takes place on Saturday, May 23rd at the Pyramids of Giza in Giza, Egypt. The fight as well as its full undercard can be seen worldwide on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN included with a DAZN Ultimate subscription for $44.99 per month or available as a standalone pay-per-view offering for non-ultimate subscribers for $59.99. The broadcast will begin at 11AM ET/8AM PT. (*North American pricing and start times only.* ) (*Card and Start Times Subject to Change.*)
For more information about DAZN including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, Availability around the world, local start times and pricing in your area, to subscribe, or order this event, please visit: www.DAZN.com.
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